Surprise Packages

Submitted by Cinnamom in Illinois

"This was 2nd Place winner in the 1994 Chicago Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest. The baker: Carol Feezell. While I don't know Ms. Feezell, I most certainly admire her creativity and patience, and for difficulty she deserved first place. For the contest, she decorated the cookies with a confectioners' sugar/milk glaze, and then "package ribbons" of piped royal icing. They were adorable! She recommends high-quality individually wrapped rectangular shaped choccies, like Andes mints, Hershey's miniatures, or Lindt orange chocolate thins. I recommend buying an extra package of candies if your children are helping form them!"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Yields: 36 cookies

ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon water
• 36 thin layered chocolate mint wafers, unwrapped

directions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Have ready ungreased baking sheets.
2. Beat butter in large bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in half of the flour, all of the sugar, the vanilla and water until thoroughly combined. Beat in remaining flour.
4. Use a scant 1 tablespoon of dough and press it thin and flat with your hands. Put a chocolate wafer in the center and fold the dough over to completely cover each chocolate to form a neat, rectangular package. Pinch edges to seal.
5. Place 1 inch apart on the ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake until bottoms are lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to wire racks to completely cool.
7. After cooling, cookies can be glazed or decorated to resemble Christmas packages.